Garage door hanger



June 12, 1934. c. H. SCHNEIDER 1,962,844

GARAGE DOOR HANGER Filed Jan. 3, 1933 Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 16 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in garage door hangers of the general form that is shown in the patent issued to myself August 19, 1930, No. 1,773,634, and my application filed October 22, 1929, Serial No. 401,556, and the object of my improvement is to produce a garage door hanger in which are incorporated some of the features that are shown and described in the patent and the application mentioned and likewise further improvements that serve to enhance the efiiciency and the convenience in operation more specifically to provide means other than the means that are shown in the said application for operating the checking means for both the closed and the open positions of the door structure automatically merely by the manipulation of the door either for opening or for closing as the case may be.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing my improved garage door hanger respectively of right handed and left handed form as applied to two door structures that are installed in a single open doorway, as viewed from the inside of the garage.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view part of the same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of the structure element that is applied to one of the doors and with said door in the closed position.

Fig. 4 shows some of the same parts in the position after the initial movement in the door opening operation.

Fig. 5 shows some of the same parts as are shown in Figure 3 with the slide pulled to the limit corresponding to the open position of the door.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the same.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the lintel member.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same, in part broken away.

Fig. 9 is an edge view of the same.

My improved garage door hanger is applied to a door 10 of the two-section form, comprising a hinge section 11 that is hinged to the opposed side post 12 and a free end section 13 that is hingedly connected at the junction 14 with the hinge section 11.

The free end section 13 has a free end edge 15 that may be opposed to a side post or may be, as shown, opposed to a similar free end edge 15 of another door that is generally similar to the door 10 and differs only in that one may be designated as right handed and the other left handed.

Both doors 15 open outwardly from the garage structure and when closed have their top edges 16 entered into a rabbet 17 in the lintel 18.

Along the inside face 19 of the lintel 18 is mounted a track 20 of generally inverted channel form for operatively supporting a carriage 21 that is provided with four wheels 22 arranged in pairs. The wheels 22 overhang the carriage frame 23 65. and are spaced apart longitudinally of the frame 23 so as to provide space between the two pairs.

In the said space is provided a cross pivot 24 for a pendant hanger rod 25. The lower end 26 of said hanger rod 25 is screw-threaded and is provided with suitable nut devices 2'? for making operative connection with other elements.

The particular other element 28 with which the rod 25 is positively connected is a horizontally directed arm 28 that has an opening 29 for receiving said rod 25 and which may be a fit for said rod or may be provided with a bushing or the like, the essential detail being that under operating conditions the axes of the rod and the opening are coincident.

As the carriage 21 travels along the track 20 the rod 25 may be said to drag the arm 28 along and likewise generally there is limited relative rotative movement.

The arm 28 projects forwardly from the pivotal opening 29 nearly up to the inside face 30 of the door 10 and is part of a bracket 32 that is provided with a vertical supporting branch 33. The latter by means of bolts 34 is secured to the free end 35 of a slide 36 that is operatively mounted for to and fro movement along the inner face 30 of the door.

Because of the overhang of the carriage wheels 22 relatively to the rod 25 and to prevent collision of the carriage with a door post or with a mating carriage as the case may be the pivotal opening 29 is spaced away from the free edge 15 of the door 10. This arrangement permits the hanger structure to be located up to the limit inflush relation to the door free edge 15. The limit is provided by the butt end face 37 of the free end 35 of the slide 36. The free end face 38 of the bracket 32 may be, as shown, located flush with the said butt end face 37. Thus the free edge 15 of the door, the butt end face 37 of the slide, and the free end edge 38 of the bracket will be flush with one another with the door in the closed position.

Thus the arm 28 intermediate the pivotal opening 29 and the slide end 35 is appreciably inclined 1 10 or generally curved and likewise is of appreciable length.

In the structure shown, with both doors in the closed positions the butt end face 38 and the free end face 37 of the slide of the one door may be said to be substantially in face to face engagement with the corresponding faces of the other door. Thus the one door will serve to block any pivotal movement of the arm, 23 of the other door. In a situation in which only a single door is used, the rotation of its arm 28 about the axis provided by the opening 29 therein in engagement with the 7 rod 25 and with said axis located as in the closed position of the door will be obstructed by some other structure. Usually such other structure would be an opposed upright jamb or post. Such rotative movement, however, is essential during. the door opening operation and during the greater portion thereof. However, such relative rotative movement can be dispensed with during the initial stage of the door opening movement and provision for doing this is made to the extent needed to prevent collision between opposed parts.

The result desired and obtained is to restrict operations laterally to a space that is defined at the free end of the door by the opposed face oi. a door post in a single door installation and in a double door installation, as here shown, that is defined by the end face of the mating door, and this is attained by providing clearance for the slide end and the arm supporting bracket that is mounted thereon. i

The means provided for attaining this result comprise an unobstructed path for the carriage and associated parts during the initial door closing movement. There may be such travel in the structure here shown to the extent of approxi mately one inch. With the carriage goes the H pendant hanger rod 25 and with the latter goes the 40 and in openings 43 in a back wall that is covered The slide is longer than the by the slide 36. housing, extends entirely therethrough,- and both the projecting ends have functions in one way or the other in connection with the checking or 1ock-' ing of the parts and their release. The slide-end.

' 35 may be designated the free end and the other end i4 may be designated the hinge end. Said hinge end 4a is provided on the inside face with arearwardly directed pin 45 that in the open position serves to eifect a checkingof 'movement of the slide by engagement in a notch 46 in a latch member i7. 1 v

In the closed position the free end face 48 of the housing 41 is snugly opposed to the vertical supporting branch 33 of the bracket 32. Therefore, the slide may be said to be in the closed position and as the door is opened it is pulled to the 7 open position;

Having regard to the relative positions of the parts in the closed position, there is little change in these positions during the initial opening movement, which, as mentioned involves a movement of an inch or so of the carriage.

' After such movement of an inch or so, positive action follows by the engagement of the rod 25 within a notch 49 of a hook 50. Thus travel of the carriage towards the hinge end is checked and such checked condition continues during the following continued door opening movement until in some way the rod 25 is disengaged or kicked-off from the hook 50. One way of effecting such kicking-off is to swing the hook around forwardly and preventing the rod from following until release'is effected, as by an obstruction or the like.

This method may be briefly described as pushing the rod 25 off from the hook 50, effected in some way responsive to the rotative movement involved in opening the door, said rod being supported from the track and pivotally connected to ing the rod off from the hook. This method of disengaging the rod and the hook is followed in' both the structure of the preceding application and that of the presentapplication. In both structures the hook is part of a swinging member which swings in a horizontal plane and which is spring positioned. The'hook may be regarded as being at the head end of said swinging member,

being on the approach end as the arm 28 moves from the open door position towards the'closed position. Means for limiting the swinging movement of the swinging member are provided in the form of a lug that projects upwardly from the tail end of said swinging member.

Said upstanding lug itself is limited in its movement by engaging with a' fixed edge that may be an extension of the fixed edge mentioned. The spring is connected to this upstanding lug, in the present structure. installation here shown only one spring is used for the two doors. Ihe two upstanding lugs are inter-connected bythe one spring. Thus fixed points for what are operativeiy the fixed ends of the spring are dispensed with. Each end of the spring serves as the operative fixed end for the one door and the active moving spring end for the other door.

To unhook the rod, means must be provided for swinging the swinging member. Here there is a choice between two methods as so far disclosed. Both operate responsive to the door movements and more-specifically, to the movements of the free end section of the door, which operatively supports the slide and connected parts.

One method may be distinguished as the slow method in that it operates more or less slowly as the door is opened. I The other method is the quick method in that it involves something in the way of a trigger movement ortrip movement of another part or set of parts.

The slow method only was provided in the structure of, the previous application. Both the slow and the quick methods are provided for in the present structure.

An important element at the tail end of the swinging member is a pendant lug, which serves. One of these functions is to cooperate with such other means as may be 3 a plurality of functions.

provided to effect the kick-off of therod 25 from the hook 50. Y

Thus, the hook 50 is part of a swinging member 51 that swings on a pivot 52 along the under face of a shelf 53 that is located at the bottom Also, in the two-door positions of the parts. cooperation with the arm 28 alone or said arm end of a lintel plate 54, the latter being secured to the rear face or inside face 19 of the lintel by screws in the holes 55.

Normally the rear face 56 of the shank 57 of the swinging member 51 is flush with the rear face or edge 58 of the shelf 53, the hook projecting rearwardly so as to be in the path of the rod 25. When moved from the closed toward the open position as considered above the rod engages with the hook and is checked thereby. In the reverse movement, from the open to'the closed position the rod snaps past the hook 50, pushing the same away momentarily in opposition to a positioning spring 59.

Said positioning spring 59 is connected to the top end of an upstanding post 60 that projects upwardly from the tail-end 61 of the swinging member 51, extending past the opposed portion of the rear edge 58 of the shelf 53 and normally in contact therewith for determining the actual normal position of the swinging member 51 by limiting the swinging movement thereof.

Another element at the tail end 61 of the swinging member 51 and projecting in the op- -posite direction from the stop post 60 is the pendant lug 62 that serves for a plurality of functions, all of which are associated in one way or the other with the closing, closed, or checked In all of these it is in with other parts, and identified with the particular edge structure 63 of said arm 28 that is on the side of the free edge of the door.

As shown said edge structure 63 is provided with a notch 64 that is spaced rearwardly towards the interior of the garage in an effective sense substantially to the same extent as the pivotal opening 29 and the rod 25 that is housed therein; Also, laterally it is separated from the opening 29 by a narrow connecting web or bridge 65. The pendant lug 62 serves as checking means to prevent accidental separation of the parts by being housed in said notch 64. Everything is shut tight.

The border walls of the notch 64 comprise a short abrupt shoulder-like wall 66 at the rear; 2. front inclined wall 67 of relatively considerable length; and a notch-bottom connecting wall 68.

The arm edge structure 63 is completed by the 1 free edge wall 69 that meets the inclined wall 67 at an obtuse angle and that merges with the butt end face 37 of the bracket 32 at the front and is at right angles with the slide 36.

The inclined wall 67 serves as a sliding contact 3 wall in cooperation with the pendant lug 62 and the adjacent portion of the free edge wall 69 may likewise serve as a sliding contact wall therefor. Said lug 62 is in the path of some part of the arm 28 as the door is being brought to the 'closed position, contact is made therebetween and at some point more or less remote from the notch 64. As the door closing progresses there is relative sliding movement until finally the lug 62 is brought into registration with the notch 64.

mentioned was effected by pulling a chain, nonautomatic as distinguished from automatic.

The structures of the application mentioned and the present application present different means for another automatic function involving the detail of checking and releasing with the slide in the open position. In the former, sliding contacts were utilized. In the latter, more positive means are employed, both for checking and for release.

Thus, the latch member 47 is tripped at the right moment to release the pin 45 from the recess 46 by means of a collar 70 that is adjustably mounted on the connecting-rod 71. In a right handed structure the collar 70 is pulled against a trip lug 72 at the upper end portion of the latch member 47. l

The lower end of the latch member 47 is connected to a positioning spring 74 and the body thereof is supported by the pivot screw 75.

The tripping lug '72 projects rearwardly from the body of the latch member 47 and the connecting-rod '71 is loosely threaded through an opening 76 in the said lug 72.

The normal positioning means for the latch member in cooperation with the spring 74 is a forwardly directed lug 77 that is held seated against an opposed portion '78 of the slide housing 41.

The engagement of the pin with the latch member is effected like in the application mentioned and in a manner common to latches by slipping along the inclined edge 79 of the nose 80. The pull on the connecting-rod '71 to effect the release of the pin 45 is effected through the medium of a trip lever 81 that swings along the under side of the arm 28 on a-pin 82. A forward arm 83 thereof is connected to the connecting-rod 71 and a rear arm 84 thereof extends generally along the inclined border wall of the notch 64 with which it cooperates in one way or another. In one position the border edge 85 of the arm 84 lies flush with the edge 67 and is thus in an inactive position. In another position the arm 84 projects along and within the space of the notch 6450 that its edge 85 is exposed and accessible for tripping contact, said tripping'lever being in overhanging position or tripping position.

The tripping lever is in such tripping position when the slide is in the pulled-out or open position, with the pin 45 in recess 46. This condition is maintained during the initial door closing movement until the tripping lever and the edge 67 have been moved sufliciently to make forceful contact with the pendant lug 62. Some turning movement of the arm 28 and its edge 67 will be accompanied by a sliding of the pendant lug along the edge 67 and a corresponding tripping effect.

Thus is released the checking means for holding the slide in the open position. This is followed by pushing the slide inward to the closed position, with the pendant lug ultimately in the checking position nestled in the notch 64. Also, the tripping arm 84 is covered by the slide arm 28 and a large part of the connecting-rod '71 over-'- hangs the latch member 47 The tripping arm is now ready for another function, being that mentioned of effecting a positive release of the hanger rod 25 from the hook 50. It does this by pushing the pendant lug 62 out of the notch 64 as the slide reaches the limit of the pulled-out or open position. In this position the collar 70 is opposed to the latch lug.

72. Also, the pin abuts againstthe opposed end face 86 of the slide housing.

Pushing the pendant lug 62 out of the notch results in swinging the hook under the shelf 53 and thus pushing the rod 25 free from engagement therewith.

In a double-door construction with one door 10 right handed and the other left handed and with free edges opposed and in close association a single casting is used for the lintel plate 54 and a single spring 59 isused for positioning the two swinging members 51, the ends thereof connected to the respective stop posts 60.

The holding effect on the door in the closed position is in the form of a positive clamping or pinching between the rear wall 66 of the notch 64 of the arm 28 on the rear side and some part of the'outer face of the lintel 18, such as the rabbet 17 on the outside. The door, being of the double-section form and being manipulated generally by a pull or a push at the junction ofthe two sections, operates as a toggle to effect a forceful clamping of the parts. The effect is to clamp the door, the slide, and the lintel intermediate these two parts firmly together with a proper construction as to thickness and the like.

In the clamped position the door is seated in the rabbet on the outside of the lintel. The slide is operatively mounted on the rear face of the door. Under clamping conditions the slide operates as a fixed part of the door, being pushed in to the limit and it moves with the door during the final clamping movements, including the toggle effect as the two door sections are brought inward or rearward towards full engagement with I the rabbet.

The clamping elements on the inside comprise as the fixed part the pendant lug 62 that is carried by the swinging member 51, which is limited in its forward swinging movement by the upstanding post 60 that is in engagement With-the opposed rear edge 58 of the shelf 53. Thus the pendant lug 62 is virtually operatively an extension of the lintel. U

The moving part that cooperates with the pendant lug 62 in effecting the clamping is the shoulder-like wall or shoulder 66, which is one of the walls of the notch 64 in the arm 28. Said arm 28 is supported ,from the slide, projects therefrom under the lintel. 1

The lintel is the part that is clamped in the technical sense, the engagement of the door therewith on the outside being direct and on the rear side the engagement is by means of the shoulder 66 and is indirect as described.

. I claim as my invention: I

'1. In a garage door hanger combination, a two section door mounted for closing against the outer face of the lintel composed of a hinge section and a free end section, a slide arranged to slide through a holder that is affixed to the inside face of said free end section. a pendant lug hanging downwardly from the inner face of said lintel, an arm fixed to said slide and projecting rearwardly therefrom under said lintel and beyond said lug, and said arm being provided with a shoulder for engaging with the rear side of said lug.

2. In a garage door hanger combination as described in claim 1, hook means operating during the openingmovement of said door to positively hold said slide against a corresponding movement with the door.

' 3. In a garage door han er combination as described in claim 1', hook means adapted to hold said slide against movement with its holder and the door during part of door opening movement and release means for disengaging said hook means during another part of such movement of the holder and door. 7

4. In a garage door hanger combination as described in claim 1, said arm being provided with a contact edge that extends forwardly from said shoulder and that is in the path of said pendant lug for engagement therewith when the door is approaching the closed position.

5. In a garage door hanger combination as described in claim 1, said pendant lug being part of a swinging member, the body part of said swinging member being mounted for swinging'in a horizontal plane that is located above said arm means with its pivot rigid with the lintel, said pendant lug being at one end of said body part, and said body part carrying an upwardly directed limiting stop lug for limiting theposition of said pendant lug and of said swinging member in one direction.

6. In a garage door hanger combination, a door, a slide mounted for sliding movement thereon, a hanger rod connected to a slide, a hook for engaging said rod during part of the door opening movement, and means for releasing said hook during another part of such opening movement.

7. In a garage door hanger combination as described in claim 6, spring positioning means for said hook, a second hook for another similar door, and said spring positioning means being in the form of a single spring that interconnects the two hooks.

8. In a garage door hanger combination as described in claim 6, a pendant lug that serves as an abutment to limit the movement of said slide during the door closing movement, and said hook and lugbeing parts of a swinging member.

9. In a garage door hanger combination, a door mounted for closing against the outer face of the lintel, a slide mounted on the inner face of said door and provided with arm means extending under the lintel and with its inner end located inwardly beyond the inside face of said lintel, and means mounted onthe lintel for cooperating with said inner end'of the arm means for interclamping said door and lintel.

10. In a garage door hanger combination as described in claim 6, a latch member for engaging said slide when inpulled-out position, and said hook releasing means comprising a trip lever and a connecting-rod that operatively connects said lever'to said latch member and arranged to effect such release by a pull on said lever effected by said latch member through the medium of said connecting-rod.

11. In a garage door hanger combination, a two-section door, a track-and-carriage supported hanger rod, a slide operatively mounted on said door and provided with an opening for said rod, means located in the path of said arm for checking the position of said slide with the door in the closed position, means located in the path of said rod for checking the movement of said slide during the early stage of the opening of said door, and means for releasing the last named checking means after such early stage of opening the door.

12. In a structure to be applied to a door for use in a garage door hanger combination, a transversely elongated housing, a slide operatively extended therethrough with the ends projecting therebeyond, a movable latch member associated with one of said ends'and a tripping lever operatively supported from the other of said ends, and a connecting-rod serving to operatively connect said latch member and tripping-lever.

13. In a structure to be applied to a door for use in a garage door hanger as described in claim 12, said tripping-lever and one end of said connecting-rod being positively pivotally connected, said latch member being provided with a perforated lug that is in the path of said connectingrod, said connecting-rod being threaded through said lug for sliding movement and being provided with a contact collar for limiting such sliding movement in one direction.

14. In a garage door hanger combination, a door structure to be applied to the door comprising a transversely elongated housing, a moving element having a slide that extends through said housing, a latch device associated with one end of said structure and having a moving part, a pivotally supported tripping lever associated with the other end of said structure, a connectingrod pivoted by one end to said lever and threaded through an opening that is provided in said moving part, and a collar on said rod for providing one-way engagement with said moving part by cooperating with the Walls of said opening.

15. In a garage door hanger combination, a garage having an open doorway, left and right doors in said doorway meeting by opposed edges, a hanger device for each door comprising a door structure that is applied to the door, comprising each a moving element, a hook for each supported from the lintel for restraining said moving element and itself a part of a swinging member and that is adapted to be normally held in the path of said moving element by spring means, and said spring means being in the form of a single spring that is common to both of said swinging members.

16. In a garage door hanger combination, a door composed of a hinge section and a tree end section, a slide operatively mounted on said free end section, a movable latch member provided with means for effecting a positive latching connection between the structure of said slide and the structure of said door with the door in the open position, and means operating responsive to the forceful closing of said door serving to release said latch member from the slide-latching position.

CHARLES H. SCHNEIDER. 

